The Harper Lee Prize for Legal Fiction, presented by the University of Alabama Law School and the ABA Journal, will be given to Attica Locke. The prize, established by Harper Lee, author of To Kill a Mocking Bird, honors a novel that best illuminates the role of lawyers in society and their power to effect change. The winner receives a cash prize and a signed copy of To Kill a Mocking Bird.

Locke is being honored for her book Pleasantville (Harper, 2015). The novel is about a murder of a campaign staffer of a mayoral candidate case in Houston. Locke will be honored this September at a ceremony at the Library of Congress.

Locke is a graduate of Northwestern University in Evanston, Illinois. She is a writer and a producer for Fox Television’s hit drama Empire.

Comments (1)

An enormous congratulations to her for this honor, and for her work on the TV show Empire. I’d be great to see somebody like Nate Parker, (Birth of A Nation: 2016), get a hold of the book, and bring it to the big screen.

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Which statement best reflects your view regarding protests by African American professional athletes during the playing of the national anthem?

I believe the protests are useful in drawing attention to continuing racial inequality.

I do not support the protests but believe strongly that these athletes have the right to do so.

These athletes have become very successful and should show respect to their country.